PRE-EVENT PREPARATION

THE VENUE
When you first book a venue or find out where you will be presenting, it’s important to learn as much
about the venue and the room as you can ahead of time so you know how to prepare for the event.

Room Layout: Your Notes

What type of room will you be presenting in? (Meeting
room with large table, classroom with desks, office room
with tables, conference room with chairs only, with tables,
etc.)
How many participants does the room hold? How many will
attend?
Is there room for activities that would require participants to
move out of their seats?
Is there space to be able to stand in a circle?
Could you form a circle with chairs?
Are you able to move around the room and chairs?
If tables are available, are they required?
Time:
How long do you have use of the room?
Does this include setup and breakdown time?
Is there another group using the room once you are finished,
giving you an absolute “out” time?
Are you charged extra if you over-stay your time?
Are you able to come in long before your event time (or
even the night before) in order to set up?
Microphone:
Will there be a microphone? Is it hand held, cordless, lapel
mic?
If there is no microphone, is the room small enough that
you will not need one?
Is it connected through a small speaker system or a built-in
PA system? How does it operate?
Will you operate it or does the venue provide an operator?
If it is wireless or lapel, find out what batteries it takes and
bring extras.
If you’re brining your own microphone, make sure it’s
compatible and you bring adapters and batteries.
Visual Media:
Is there a screen, wall or TV screen where a slide
presentation or other visuals can be displayed?
Does it use a projector or a television?
Will you need your files to be on the venue’s computer
system or are you able to plug in your own laptop? Or,
perhaps tablet?
If so, what adapter do you need in order to plug in? Are
there compatibility issues with Mac vs PC?
Other Visuals:
Is a white board or flip chart available?
If not, can you bring your own and if so where can you set it
up?
Do they provide the markers? (You should bring your own
anyway.)
If you’re bringing a small white board or flip chart, do they
have an easel or do you need to bring one?
Audio Media:
Is there the ability to play music or other sound?
If so, is it built into the microphone system, the visual
projection system, or both?
If you are playing video from the computer or slide show,
where will the music play from?
Do you need any additional equipment or adapters?
If the venue does not have AV at all, is it possible to bring
your own?
If so, where in the room could it be set up? Would the
audience be able to see and hear from that location?
Parking:
Where are guests of your event supposed to park? Is it
marked? Restricted? Free or paid?
Do they need a parking pass? Are there other restrictions?
Check-in:
Will guests need to check in at the venue, such as a hotel
lobby, or do they report directly to the meeting room?
Is there an area outside of your room where you or your
organization can set up to check in guests?
Marketing:
Does your venue provide any form of marketing, such as an
event directory, posting, or email campaign?
Signage:
What types of signage does your venue allow?
Can you put up signs outside of your meeting room or are
you limited to only inside?
Can they be large exhibitor signs that stand on the floor?
Large banners on the wall? Small posters only?
Can you post signs outdoors pointing attendees in the right
direction (such as yard stakes)?
Whatever your ideas or needs are, make sure you ask.
Food:
Are you allowed to provide food to your attendees in your
meeting room? If so, are there restrictions (such as snacks
and water only)? Is there refrigeration available?
Are you required to purchase meal plans from the venue?
What are the costs?
If food is provided by the venue, what do they make
available for attendees with diet restrictions?
Bathrooms:
Where are bathrooms located in relation to your meeting
room? Are they close? Are there signs?
Will you need to explicitly explain at the beginning of your
event?
Noise:
Are there restrictions on noise (restricting you from using
loud music or having the group get noisy with cheering)?
Will there be any groups nearby that would be creating
noise that may interrupt with serious or reflective exercises
you may be conducting?
Accessibility:
What accommodations are available for attendees with
disabilities or other special needs.
Lodging:
If attendees will need to or may want to stay overnight, does
the venue offer lodging? If so, will they offer a group/block
rate?
If not, are there lodging facilities nearby? (You may want to
make suggestions for your guests.)
THE CONTENT

Step in the Content Your Notes

Development Process
Brainstorm (select your
topic, identify main points,
explore activities or add-ons)
Research (the topic, the
audience, the organization,
statistics or other figures)
Write the outline for your
presentation (introduction
material, main points, sub
points, conclusion)
Write out the full text
(include as much detail as you
would actually cover)
Convert the text into a talk
(either rewrite as a full speech
or turn it into a working
workshop outline—which you
do not recite verbatim)
Determine materials,
equipment, activities,
worksheets or other add-ons
needed
Rehearse and practice (make
it as real-life as possible)
Review for content and
timing (track how much time
it takes for each segment)
Create a time schedule for
your presentation, including
estimates for each section,
breaks, activities, etc.
Critically analyze every
aspect to ensure your
presentation flows, presents
relevant, timely information,
and holds audience interest
Edit, rehearse again, and
polish
Prepare final draft of your
notes, prompts, or slides
 DAY OF THE EVENT (LAST 24 HOURS)
BEING PREPARED
Plan to have everything completed, prepared, and packed the night before the event.

Item Your needs and notes Done! 

Cloths: dress professional (depending on the
audience) but also comfortably. Choose
comfortable shoes. Bring backups if there is
doubt about comfort. Bring a jacket. Wear
layers.
Visual prompts: have all visual prompts
prepared in advance. Bring 2 copies. Email
yourself a copy of your final notes.
Slide presentations: Have your slides loaded
onto the laptop you will be playing them from.
Have a copy on a thumb drive you will use to
put the file onto another computer.
Email yourself a copy of the final slides.
Make sure your slides do not use fancy fonts
that will not work when you open the file on
another computer that does not have the font.
Confirm compatibility (such as Mac vs PC and
.pptx vs .ppt or other slide program).
Equipment: Pack all equipment you will be audio-visual equipment ______
bringing ahead of time. This includes: laptop or tablet with content ______
microphone ______
batteries ______
______
______

Materials: Prepare and pack all giveaways, prices, or products ______

materials you will need ahead of cell phone charger ______
time. This includes: Square or PayPal or other plug-in
swiper for accepting credit card
printed worksheets or handouts ______ purchases ______
flipchart or whiteboard, markers ______ change (small bills) if accepting
notepads or pens for attendees ______ payment with cash ______
business cards/ marketing materials ______ receipt book or method to record
pens, paperclips, stapler, paper, payments ______
clipboards, or other office supplies sign up sheet for email addresses,
you need _____________________ ______ raffles, etc. ______
products you may be selling ______ ______
items to decorate your speakers table ______
(if applicable) including branding, ______
décor, table cloth, books ______ ______
name tags ______ ______
your own name tag or lanyard ______ ______
signs or posters
ARRIVAL AT VENUE

Task Your Notes Done! 

Arrive early to become familiar with
the room, to set up, and to make any
changes
Rearrange the room layout to meet
your needs and ask for help if
necessary
Assess the location of the room and
if any signage needed to be placed
elsewhere to lead attendees to the
correct location
Evaluate the situation with food,
including where it can or will be set
up, timing, etc
Become familiar with the area where
you will be presenting from
Find out where you will sit before
being introduced
Determine your safe space, where
you can take a few minutes to gather
your thoughts, meditate, listen to
your inspirational song, pep-talk
yourself in the mirror, or conduct
whatever pre-presentation mental
preparation exercise you wish in
PRIVATE
Decide where you will place your
notes or other props or materials
Set up your audio-visual equipment
and test the visual, the audio
Check the distance from the front to
the back of the room to determine
how well the audience will be able to
see you and your visuals and hear the
audio
Set up any other equipment or
materials, such as signage, your own
table, snacks, etc
Test your microphone and adjust
volume, if it’s wireless or a lapel mic,
make sure there are backup batteries
Recheck your audio-visual
materials